Kaleidoscope
by drewtoo
Summary: It had been over a hundred years ago but he remembered it as clear as if it had been yesterday. He remembered her dark hair and porcelain face. He remembered her arresting eyes. He remembered the heady, overpowering scent of her blood.
1. He never saw her again

Her blood was the sweetest he'd ever smelled. It sang to him like a siren. He wanted it, needed it.

He watched her move along the crowded sidewalk. The flaming sun was just setting but the heat in Jackson was still intense. Enough to make your blood boil.

She was alone. "Strange", he thought, so close to twilight. He carefully wove his way through the passersby, pulled forward like a magnet.

She stopped to cross the street, looking back briefly. Underneath her hat, her skin was exquisitely smooth and ivory. Her eyes were a deep, dark brown.

He followed after her, dodging a horse and buggy.

She continued on, walking more briskly. The shadows were lengthening. She turned down a side street. They were in a less crowded part of town now. A light breeze ruffled through the air, blowing her sublime scent back to him. He picked up the pace a little, still careful to keep a distance.

He watched as she looked up at the sky. Storm clouds were starting to gather. The breeze turned into a light wind.

Her pace increased until a gust of wind blew her hat away. It flew back toward him and he caught it effortlessly. He smiled to himself.

She looked back, startled. Her hair, free in the wind, blew across her face. Her dark eyes had an unusual depth to them. Her heart-shaped lips had a natural reddish hue. She was intoxicating.

"Ma'am," He said, removing his own hat. "I believe this is yours." He stepped toward her.

He felt her heartbeat quicken. A slight flush stained her porcelain face. He felt the edges of fear creep over her.

The first drops of rain fell. One landed on her cheek and glistened there like a teardrop.

He stopped. It was like he'd hit a brick wall. Some unknown force prevented him from going forward. He stared at her.

She turned then, walking away, and melted into the shadows.

He never saw her again.


	2. Eager Conversation

Jasper ran a hand through his wavy blonde hair, sighing. He looked at the clock. It was seven o'clock. There was still half an hour before he and his "siblings" would leave for school.

He watched out the window as a little grey squirrel whisked up the side of a tree.

There were quick footsteps on the stairs. A sharp annoyance filled the air. Jasper turned to see Rosalie gliding through the room. She stopped when she saw him. "Have you seen a black shoe?" She demanded. Jasper shrugged, "Nope." He turned back to the window. There was a low snarl of frustration behind him and then Rosalie flitted out of sight.

Jasper sighed again. Another day of locking down his thirst. Another day of rebelling against his natural instincts. He would have to hunt soon. It was very difficult and very dangerous to go more than two weeks without hunting. Even managing two weeks was a struggle.

He turned away from the window and flashed up the stairs to his study.

He could hear Alice in the next room, rummaging in her closet for something.

He grabbed his jacket, still draped over the chair from where he'd tossed it last night. He grabbed his bag from under the desk. He unzipped it briefly to toss in his textbooks. Not that he needed them. They were just for show. He smiled slightly to himself. So much of his life was show. At least outside the privacy of this house.

He went back downstairs. Emmett was there with Rosalie. He had his arm around her. The flamboyant attraction for each other wafted off of them like steam. There was a note of smugness mixed in. Apparently Rosalie had found her shoe.

Edward whirled by them and out the door.

They headed out the door. " Alice!" Emmett yelled back towards the stairs. A blur of color zipped through the door after them and suddenly petite Alice was hopping into the car. "I thought I heard my name." She sang. The rest of them got in after her.

Edward backed out of the garage and sped off down the vague, tree-lined path leading to the highway.

Alice started chattering to Edward about something she'd seen in her mind.

Jasper looked out of the window, his thoughts wandering.

He decided he would go hunting right after school. Edward would go with him. He looked up, catching Edward's eye in the rearview mirror. Edward nodded.

He didn't think he could wait until the weekend when the rest of his family had planned to hunt. Getting through today would be enough of a struggle.

Sometimes he longed for the old days. Back when he had lived in the South. He knew he would never go back to that way of life. But occasionally he missed it.

Images flicked through his mind: _...ruby-red eyes filled with bloodlust, Maria- his creator and longtime ally, burnt piles of newborn carcasses, purplish smoke drifting towards the sky, a girl with dark-brown eyes melting into the shadows...  
_  
He closed his eyes, lost in memory.

They pulled into the school parking lot, squeezing into the first available spot.

Jasper gracefully jumped out. He adjusted his bag, waiting for the rest of them. They all headed toward the entrance.

There was the usual melodrama of emotion swarming around them. High school was often tedious for him. It was a melting pot of hormones.

There was an edge of excitement in the air today. He caught snatches of conversation as he passed the crowds.

_"...so have you seen her yet? What does she look like"  
_  
_"...Chief Swan's daughter. I heard she's moving back to live with him."  
_  
Apparently it was just a new girl. He smiled to himself. It didn't take much to get them excited.

He walked through the doors, barely registering the last snippet of eager conversation.

_"What's her name again?"  
_  
_"Isabella Swan"._


	3. Sharp Memory

Jasper stared at the dust shimmering in the air by the window. A small part of him was attentive to the English teacher; enough to appear interested. The rest of his attention was going down the hallways of his mind; taking out memories, examining them, and filing them away again.

He glanced at the seat next to him, occupied by Rosalie. She looked alert but he could feel the boredom. He knew she would rather have aligned her schedule with Emmett's.

He and his family had decided that he should always have one of them with him in his classes. It was just safer.

He did sometimes feel like a babysat child though.

The bell rang. He slowly reached for his books, dragged them back, and piled them into his bag. The movement was still quick by human standards.

He felt Rosalie's impatience as they meandered towards the door.

The crowds were thick, all headed for the cafeteria. Yet somehow Jasper found he had plenty of room. People usually didn't bump into him. Their subconscious steered them away.

Like some wierd human wave, the writhing, chattering mass of students flowed toward the double doors. It was a pulsing rave. He didn't want to wait in line with all that warm blood.

"No props today." He muttered to Rosalie as he headed to the far corner of the cafeteria. Alice and Emmett were already seated at their usual table. Jasper joined them.

"How'rya holding up?" Emmett asked him. Alice peered at him anxiously. "I'll be fine." Jasper answered.

"He'll make it." Alice reconfirmed.

They were soon joined by Rosalie, followed by Edward.

He could feel Edward's curiousity as he glanced at him, noticing the lack of human food usually in front of him. Edward looked quickly at Alice, scanning her mind. He was apparently releived at what he saw, because he relaxed and sat down.

The minutes passed. Suddenly Edward looked up and over toward the students. He said something about the new girl, Isabella Swan. But Jasper wasn't really listening. He ws looking out the window. The wind had picked up. The green leaves danced and swayed.

Someone opened the door at the far corner of the building. They left it open for several seconds, letting a group of students pass through. The breeze from outside swept in, circling back towards him.

The scents twisted and mingled with each other: damp earth and crisp grass and dozens of different students.

Suddenly one yanked sharply, almost painfully, on his memory. He was on his feet before he knew it. He was back in Jackson, Mississippi on a darkened street, watching a strange girl walk away.

He felt two pairs of hands on him. Emmett and Edward. He tensed and looked down, expecting to see a hat in his hands.

He relaxed slightly and let them guide him back to his chair. He could feel Edward scrutinizing him.

"How is this possible?" Edward asked him.

Jasper just shook his head. He had no idea what was happening. He only knew that somewhere in this room was the woman who had intoxicated him 150 years previously. 


	4. I just need time

**Cassidy**- This isn't Twilight from Jasper's point of view. I'm using the book as a rough guideline, but this is a different story.

I have been getting many questions asking whether Bella is a vampire. No she is not a vampire nor is she reincarnated. I'll explain later why her blood smells the way it does.

********************************************************************************************************************

Jasper was afraid to look around for the owner of the scent, but he had to.

His eyes swept the room, searching.

At the same time, he tried to pick the scent out of the crowd. It was like an outdoor bazaar with heady scents swirling in the air.

For some reason, her particular scent eluded him.

"What was that about?" Emmett asked him. The others were staring at him now. He could feel them: wary, alert.

Jasper shook his head again, his eyes still scanning the cafeteria. "I don't know."

He saw Edward looking around the cafeteria now. He would have seen her in his memory.

Jasper knew what he needed to do.

"I think it's better if I don't find her." Jasper said to him. "For me and for all of us".

He looked up at the rest of them and continued. "I think I'm going to leave for a while. I know I'm the weakest of all of us." His eyes flickered downward. "And I don't want to risk the integrity of the family."

"We'll come with you." Alice piped. Rosalie gave her a sour look but said nothing.

"No." Jasper said. "I'll be back. I just need time." The bell for lunch rang. Jasper stayed where he was. The others didn't move either.

He waited until the last of the students trickled out through the cafeteria door. Then he stood up.

"I'm going home." He said.

The others nodded.

He walked to the door, and out onto the school grounds. He walked across the parking lot, across the highway, and up into the woods.

He walked through the damp green forest for a ways to be sure he was under cover. Then in a flash he was gone.


End file.
